I am 49 years old and one of my goals this year, 2021, is to be physically healthier in my fifties than I’ve been in my forties.
Growing up I was relatively healthy. I was neither obese or skinny. My average weight in my twenties and thirties was between 125 and 130 pounds.
And then I turned 40 and everything changed. My hormones started to go haywire. I started to get menstrual pimples which were leaving marks on my face, and no matter how often I worked out and how little I ate, I was packing on the pounds. My GYN prescribed birth control pills which somewhat got my hormones under control, enough to stop the pimples, but the pill did nothing for my weight. Over time, the pill created another problem, blood clots, which travelled up to my lungs and could have caused me to have a stroke, or worse. This forced me to stop taking the pill, which meant the return of pimples.
My ideal weight is between 145 and 155 pounds. Right now I weigh a glorious 180, which is pretty heavy for someone standing at 5’1”. Quarantining and not being able to go to a gym to workout did not help matters. The truth is I do not have the discipline to workout at home by myself. If I’m home, once I sit down on my couch or lay down on my bed, I am not getting up to work out. I’m more motivated and hold myself accountable when I’m at a gym with other people. In the most recent months, pre-covid, I enjoyed going to “I Love Kickboxing” or ILKB. The one hour session included cardio, strength training and a lot of punching the bag, which is a wonderful way to relieve stress. It was fun and energizing and I was able to lose weight rather easily.
My primary reason to lose the weight is to take the pressure off my joints. I have occasional joint pain in my hips and knees, which I know is caused by the extra weight. Better to fix this problem now than to end up using a walker later.
I just recently joined a gym and I’m looking forward to engaging a solid and consitent workout regimen.
Also, for the month of January, I decided to do a fast in which I will not be eating any meats, poultry, pork or dairy. I expect that eliminating these elements from my diet, at least for a month, will significantly increase my ability to lose weight, decrease the overall inflammation in my body, and possibly balance my hormones.
